Robin's Past
by PinkRose0106
Summary: In which (female) Robin and (male) Morgan create a past for Robin, starting when she was six, and trying to create a life for her before the events of Awakening. It may not be a complete history or entirely true, but a small idea is better than none. (More disclaimers inside. Mainly takes place in Ylisse. Rated T because of minor cursing and such.)
1. Prologue

(I will apologize now for any inconsistencies, spelling errors, or misinformation in this fanfic. I will also say that this prologue and any of the interludes/paralogues does not have a set time; however, it's probably best in an after-Awakening time, or shortly before or around the defeat of Grima. Robin also does not have an official husband in this—and by extension, Morgan doesn't have an official father. Both have their canon/default appearances and such. This is so then you, the reader, could fill in the blanks, making Robin's husband and Morgan's father whoever you want. Also beware of slight OOCness. With that out of the way, please enjoy!)

Robin was brushing up on a few spells while also coming up with some strategies in her tent. One magic book was on one table, and one of her many tactic books was on another. In the corner stood the strategy game she'd play with Morgan, along with the breakfast she only half ate. Chrom would probably disagree to her not eating, but she wasn't hungry and she was busy. Plus, if she skipped breakfast but ate a little bit more of lunch, or had a few snacks here and there, it should be fine.

Robin heard feet coming up to the entrance of her tent, so she gently closed her magic book and picked up her tactic book, quickly narrowing it down to only one person in the Shepherds or Chrom's army.

Morgan quietly slipped through the opening of the tent, smiling brightly. "Hello, Mother!" He said.

"Good morning, Morgan." Robin replied, smiling a little. "Here to practice some strategies, read up on some books, or try your hand at beating me in some friendly combat?"

"Actually, Mother," Morgan began, his face falling a little, "I wanted to ask you something."

Robin nodded, understanding the importance of listening. Morgan was her son from the future—they found him without memories of most of his life, which similarly happened to Robin. When he wasn't helping in battles or following in his mother's footsteps, he wondered about his life and why he couldn't remember his father. Robin guessed that this was going to be a similar question than the one he asked often; Why can't I remember anything but Mother?

Morgan beamed a little, and Robin went to sit down on her cot; Morgan soon joined her. He didn't say anything for a while, just looking around. Robin half-consciously remembered she was still holding her tactics book and set it aside gently, then turned to face Morgan again.

Her son took a tiny breath—almost a sigh or a calming breath—and then said, "I may have asked this before, but… What do you think your life was like, before Chrom found you?"

The question took Robin aback a little, although it wasn't a rare question to be asked. Chrom, Lissa, and most of the other Shepherds asked her the same question almost every day—or at least wondered it aloud. Robin hadn't expected Morgan to ask the question, even if it made sense. The tactician part of her brain began to see if there was anything in particular that had led to him asking the question; it seemed as though it came out of nowhere, however.

Morgan must've mistook her silence for anger, confusion, sadness, or all three; he now looked a bit regretful and like he expected to get in trouble for asking. His words quickly confirmed it; "I'm sorry, Mother. I shouldn't have asked." He started to stand up until Robin gently touched his shoulder.

"It's fine, Morgan. You just surprised me, is all." She said kindly. He nodded and sat back down beside her again. Robin waited until he was comfortable to answer his question. "To be honest, I don't know what I would've been like. It's not something I think of often, either—it's pretty chaotic around here during the day, and I'm so exhausted by nighttime that I fall asleep quickly. I only know what Validar"—she spoke her father's name a bit more bitterly than she had intended, even though she held no positive feelings towards him—"told me, and that's very little."

When Robin looked at Morgan, he looked no more happy to hear Validar's name as she was—she guessed it must've been a matter of her speaking ill of him, so it made sense that Morgan, whom spent a lot of time with her, would share her resentment towards her father. Morgan almost looked a little scared simply by the mention of the name. Robin gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder and he brightened up instantly. She smiled faintly; she had no idea how he could cheer up this easily.

"Do you think you had a good life before now?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know." Robin replied truthfully. "What do you think?"

"I think we should try to figure it out!" Morgan proposed.

"Hm?"

"Think of it, Mother; it'll be great! We'll try to figure out what your past was like—or at least create one, so you'll know. Maybe some of my memories will come back as well."

Robin smiled at her son. He looked so excited—she couldn't say "No" to that face—she nodded. She could feel his excitement becoming contagious; she guessed that she looked similar to him in terms of expression. "How do you want to start?" She asked.

"Do you have a place you like to go to?" Morgan said. "We could create a story for your life, and then try to see if it's right. Or try to see if anyone knew a child named Robin who looked like you—or a child named Robin who was you."

Robin thought for a moment. She knew it was unlikely that anyone would've known her—otherwise Validar would have found her sooner—so searching seemed to be a bit useless. "We should start small," she decided after a little while. "How about we make a story first, to go by? Some sort of past—even a made-up one—is better than none. Who knows, it might be closer to the truth than we intend it to be."

Morgan nodded. "Alright. I'll go get some paper, ink, and quills—it'll be easier to make if it's written down." He stood up and half-walked, half-ran out of the tent. Robin stood up to clean up the table a little and so find an extra chair for Morgan. She decided that they didn't have to go in chronological order, and by the time Morgan came back, she already knew how she wanted to start the story of her past—even if it's not the actual thing.


	2. Chapter 1 - Her Sixth Birthday

(From this point on, it's Morgan and Robin's story of Robin's childhood, in Robin's view, unless otherwise stated at the start of the chapter. However, none of this will be in first person due to my personal writing preferences. These may not be in perfect chronological order; it may go from when Robin was 6, to 3, to 10. It will state her age near the beginning of the chapter if there's a time skip forward or back a bit.)

Robin was sitting at the small table, in front of a cake. It was her sixth birthday, and her mother had gone all-out with the decorations. Mother was currently putting the final bits of icing on; was it just her, or did it look fancier this year? Robin wasn't sure if she completely cared.

Mother nodded at her work, and looked at Robin. "Are you ready for your cake?" She asked kindly.

"Cake, then presents!" Robin agreed. Mother giggled a little, and began to cut the cake with the same knife she had used to spread the icing. Robin watched, eager to find out what type of cake it was. Chocolate? Strawberry? Banana? Bear? That would be exciting. What would a bear cake even taste like? Her mind went to the icing. It was her favorite part of cake, so it had to be the best part.

Mother finished cutting the cake into ten slices—five for each of them, to be eaten in moderation. It wasn't a huge cake, but it wasn't the smallest Robin remembered eating, either. She put two slices of cake on Robin's plate, and two on her own, then sat down beside her daughter.

"Can I eat it now?" Robin asked.

"Yes, honey, you may." Mother replied, smiling a little. She always seemed so…distant. Robin never thought much of it, though.

Robin began to eat, pleased to know that the cake was vanilla and the icing was chocolate. It wasn't the most exciting combination, but it was a nice one and it tasted alright. She ate quicker than most would recommend, but it was too good to spend a lot of time eating it.

She finished quickly, and looked over at the small pile of presents that were sitting in the corner of the room. "Can we do presents now?" She said.

"Let me finish my cake." Mother said. "Did you like it?"

"It was so good!" Robin replied. "I might've eaten it a bit too fast, though."

"That happens sometimes, love." Mother said sweetly. She finished up her cake and went over to the presents; Robin followed much more eagerly. The two sat down side-by-side next to the presents, and Mother picked one up. "How about you start with this one?"

Robin nodded and took the present from her mother. She shook it a little experimentally. It was thin, somewhat long, heavy, and poorly wrapped. She poked it; it seemed suspicious. "What is it?" Robin asked.

"You'll see when you open it." Mother said, picking up another one that actually had a name tag on it.

Robin poked the present in her hands again. She slowly started unwrapping it, to reveal…a book? She looked up at her mother. "What is this? A book?"

"It's a magic tome," Mother explained. "I thought it would be nice for you to learn some spells. In case…in case he shows up." Her expression turned serious, which scared Robin a little. Her mother was never serious; she was always happy, playful, albeit distant.

"Who's 'he?'" Robin asked, holding the book—the magic tome—closer to her.

Mother didn't answer directly. She was just staring at something else, then Robin, then to the window—the outside world, which was actually quite bright today—and then finally to the thing she could only see in front of her. "I'll tell you when you're fourteen, okay?"

"Okay," Robin said. She told herself not to forget that promise. She sat down the tome she was holding and looked at the one her mother was holding. Mother wordlessly handed it to her, and thus the present-unwrapping continued.

…

Robin looked to make sure all of the presents were unwrapped, then looked at her mother. "Is that all of them?" She asked.

"Actually," Mother began. She stood up and brushed some of the dirty wrapping paper off her dress. "I do have one more gift for you." She walked out of the room and came back with a cloak. She silently undid Robin's hair, and slipped the cloak over Robin's nightgown. "Just for today, I'm going to let you outside."

"Outside?" Robin echoed, a bit awestruck. Mother never let her outside, not even on cloudy or sunny or rainy or snowy days. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, dear." Mother replied quietly. "From this year on, I'll bring you out to the town on your birthday for you to pick out your own present." She knelt down so she was at eye level with Robin. "But you have to promise me that you won't lower your hood and never look at or talk to anyone, okay?"

"Alright," Robin agreed. Mother sighed with something close to relief, and pulled up Robin's hood. It was a bit hard to see, but Mother had taken her hand and was guiding her outside of the house. Robin watched the ground rather than the sky; either way, it looked wonderful. She was looking forward to choosing her own present, too.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Toy Shop

Robin did as she had promised and stayed silent while they walked through the town. A lot of people greeted Mother.

"Where do you want to go?" Mother asked silently.

Robin hesitated before whispering back, "The toy shop, maybe?"

"Okay," Mother replied. She continued to hold on to Robin's hand, never letting go. Robin admired the brick walkways; they looked fascinating to her.

Mother paused and opened a door, leading Robin inside what she assumed was the toy shop. "You can lower your hood now, sweetie." Mother said.

Robin did just that, and looked around. The toy shop wasn't big; just a few displays and lots of dolls and toy swords scattered around. An older-looking man was setting up a display by the window; Mother let go of Robin's hand and went over to tap his shoulder.

The man looked at her and smiled. "Why, hello there. Long time no see. How've you been?" He said.

"I came to let my daughter pick out a present for herself." Mother explained. "It's her birthday today." The man nodded and Mother looked back at Robin. "Come over here, sweetie. He won't hurt you."

Robin walked over to them, but didn't say anything.

"What's your name, little one?" The man asked.

Robin looked up at her mother, who nodded, and then she looked back at the man again. "I'm Robin," she said, quieter than she had intended.

"And how old are you?" The man said.

"Today's my sixth birthday, sir." Robin replied.

"Congratulations to you!" The man exclaimed happily. "I'd say turning six is something to celebrate." He turned to Mother. "You've been treating her well, right? The girl looks like she's seen a ghost."

"Of course I've been treating her well." Mother protested, but she looked down at Robin, which showed a bit of doubt. "It's her first time outside the house."

"First time?" The man echoed. "I knew you were scared, but she's six! My granddaughter's four and she's become quite skilled with a sword."

The only reply he got was a look from Mother. Robin was a bit confused—what were they talking about?—but she didn't want to throw herself into the conversation. She liked her life; she didn't want it to change, either.

The man sighed and looked at Robin. "What kind of toy do you like? Soft, hard, pointy, water-based, aerial, or none of the above?"

"I don't know, sir." Robin replied. "I don't have a lot of toys."

The man looked back at Mother, and said, "Well, I have to hand it to you, she has good manners. Not every kid has 'em."

"She picked those up on her own." Mother said. "She's a quick learner."

"It's a shame she's the only one." The man muttered, barely audible. Mother must've heard it, because she glared at him briefly. The man just shrugged and walked around the small shop, picking up a few toys and then setting them back down again.

Mother sighed after a little while. "Have you heard any good news lately?" She asked.

"Hmm…" The man began, pausing for a few moments to think. "Nothing much. No news from Regna Ferox, Plegia, or here in Ylisse. Everything's pretty much normal. No need to fret over anything. He's not coming for you."

He, Robin thought. The same 'he' as before? Does everyone know but me? Or does Mother just trust this man more than me? She looked at her mother, who showed no sign of anything in particular.

"That's good," Mother replied.

The man nodded, and the three fell into silence for a little bit. Eventually, the man dug underneath a pile of toys and pulled out a little doll. "Aha," he murmured. "Here it is." He turned to Robin and held it out so she could see it better. "How do you like this doll? It's one of my better creations. It'll last a good ten years, at most. It also comes with a few extra dresses, but the hair's permanent."

Robin walked over to him and held the doll. It was about twice the size of her hand, but it was light. It's body was made out of fabric at the body, most of the arms, and most of the legs, but it was stuffed with fluff or something so it was hard to tell; it's head and the hands and feet were made of wood. It's lips were painted on, a color that reminded Robin of a pink flower she had seen earlier. It's blue eyes were painted on as well. On top of it's head there was a black tangle of something that was supposed to represent hair, and it wore a simple sundress.

She looked up at the man and smiled. "Thank you, sir. I like it." She said.

"How much do you want for it?" Mother asked the man. She went over to Robin and pulled her hood back up, making it hard for Robin to see again. She held on to the doll and kept her head down, and her mother took her hand and squeezed it.

"For you, it's on the house." The man replied. He bent down so Robin could see him. "Happy birthday, kiddo. I hope to see you again soon."

"Thank you," Robin murmured, suddenly feeling shy again.

The man stood up, and Robin heard him walking away. "Bring her back sometime, okay? She's a special one."

"I'm well aware of that." Mother replied, beginning to head for the door. She seemed to add something mentally, because it took her a while to say, "Goodbye. I hope you have a nice day."

"The same to you." The man's voice replied from farther back in the store.

Mother led Robin back outside, and—Robin guessed—back home.


	4. Chapter 3 - School, Magic, and Work

Weeks passed, and Robin was still a bit fascinated by the outside world. She asked her mother to take her back outside—in the field around the house, at least—but she always denied her request. Eventually Robin gave up, and instead focused on her doll and looking forward to next year.

Robin was inside her small, admittedly dull room. The walls were painted, but it was old and faded. The wood floors were covered in blankets and rugs to keep her feet from getting splinters. The entire house was this way, except for her mother's room and whatever other rooms only Mother was allowed in. Mother typically wore shoes, or slippers at least—the opposite of Robin, she always seemed ready to leave at a moment's notice. Robin picked up her doll and briefly wondered if her mother's normal outfit had anything to do with 'him.'

A quick knock at the door made Robin jump a little. It creaked as Mother opened it and came inside, textbooks in hand.

"Okay, dear, are you ready to continue school?" Mother asked. "I'm going to need to head out into town for a little bit. I want you to catch up a little; then can you try to look at the magic tome I gave you for your birthday? If you need help, I'll be back in about three hours."

Robin nodded, sat her doll down, and stood up to collect the textbooks, and went to the dining room to start. Mother bid goodbye, opened the door, and left. Robin heard several locks click into place—it always fascinated her a bit. She looked down at her textbooks and began to work.

…

Robin finished before Mother came back. She looked over the magic tome, but couldn't quite understand it, so she put the textbooks back and left the tome on the table. Her schooling had always been relatively easy; she only had to read a few paragraphs and answer a few questions. It never took more than two hours.

She stood up, guessing that her mother would be home in another hour or less. Robin slipped on a pair of her mother's slippers and went into her mother's room.

It didn't look any better than her own, maybe a bit worse. Robin had only been in here once or twice; when she was in trouble or woke up during a storm. She immediately went over to the window, the only one that wasn't partially boarded up. She carefully tried to open it, and after a tiny creak it let in a nice breeze. Robin stood there, admiring the small section of the sky that she could see.

"Some day," she said quietly, a promise to herself, "I will go outside and see your full beauty."

Robin stood there for a bit longer. She looked towards the woods, and for a second she thought she saw someone. Thinking for a moment it was her mother, she squeaked and closed the window, making the air still again, and dropped out of sight. She realized that her mother probably went to town, meaning she wouldn't be in the forest. Robin slowly got back up again, but the person had left.

She paused to wonder about it for a moment until she heard the door beginning to unlock. Robin quickly went outside her mother's room, closed the door again, and dropped off the slippers by the now-closed door. She went back to the dining room to ask for assistance with the tome, if possible.

Robin heard Mother come inside and lock the door, then saw her when she entered the dining room.

"Do you need help?" Mother asked sweetly. Robin noticed she carried some grocery bags. She stood up to help put them away, while Mother opened up the tome and leafed through the first few pages.

"I couldn't quite understand the tome, but normal schoolwork went well." Robin replied.

"No questions or concerns outside of the tome?" Mother checked.

"No questions or concerns outside of the tome." Robin confirmed, realizing a second too late that she did actually have a concern outside of schoolwork and magic. Would Mother know who that person was? She might, if she didn't punish Robin for looking outside. There was nothing to look at but green grass, brown trees, blue skies, and the occasional storm, yet Mother always insisted never to look out the window. Robin never really thought to disobey that until now, and even then, the thought of seeing her mother angry was enough to convince her not to do it.

Mother nodded and continued leading through the pages. "What part did you have trouble on?"

"There's too much big words!" Robin declared. She quickly put the groceries away and went over to Mother, and pointed to the first sentence of the page. "I can't tell what any of this means. Magic tomes are weird."

"Maybe it's too advanced," Mother muttered. She picked up the tome and looked down at Robin. "Now, how about I learn these and then just teach you myself? It might be easier that way."

Robin stared at her with wide eyes. "You can do magic?" She asked, a bit awestruck. Who wouldn't be? Every important person in stories had it, even in legends and history books, even in small amounts.

"I know how to do some spells." Mother replied. She looked away from Robin, which was usually a sign she had asked the wrong question. "Not the kind of spells that do good. Bad spells. Horrible spells. Deadly spells." She paused, and looked back at Robin. "But don't worry; I have sworn never to do them again. I'll learn these ones and I'll teach you, okay?"

Robin nodded, not quite sure if she wanted to be scared or fascinated. On one hand, from Robin's knowledge, that meant that her mother is—or was—a dark mage, which typically didn't have the best reputations. On the other hand, she knew magic. It was almost enough to throw everything bad about it away. Almost.

"I'll get dinner ready in a little bit," Mother said as she started walking back towards her room. "Could you wash the plates? If you need anything, I'll be in my room. Knock and wait for my permission to enter."

"Alright, Mother." Robin replied. She went over to the dirty dishes and the small area she had to clean them, and began working. It wasn't the most tedious task ever; better than going into the small attic to clean out the webs and such. She quietly hummed and she cleaned.


	5. Chapter 4 - Outside Without Permissiom

Robin was now nine. She enjoyed going out to the town every year more than she had thought she would; this year Mother even let her go without wearing her hood, but inside she wore a mask. It was fun, actually.

The toy shop owner—she learned his name was Ammiras—had become a bit like a grandfather to her, occasionally coming over with extra gifts and such. He told her stories and gave her presents often.

Robin had also gotten reasonably good with being a mage, learning under her mother. After a few months, she was able to study directly from the tome. While this meant she didn't see Mother as often—she began leaving more frequently now that Robin was older—it also meant that Mother didn't have to waste her time studying something she didn't really want to.

Robin was sitting in her room, the doll Ammiras gave her when she was six sitting on the shelf. Her mother had left early in the morning; Robin woke up to her saying goodbye. Mother said she would be back around nighttime. Robin wondered if she did something wrong; it had become rare when Mother actually spent most of the day with her.

She never forgot the promises that were made three years ago. She was happily counting down the years for when Mother would tell her of 'him'—now that she was older, Robin was wondering if it had something to do with the absence of a father, something she didn't really know existed until Ammiras mentioned one in a story. Robin also didn't forget the promise she made to herself; she planned on fulfilling that one today.

Robin quickly went over all the reasons why her mother told her never to go outside: wild animals, hunters, evil men, witches, dragons, and several other mythical beings. Robin decided she could safely cross out half of those as an option, leaving only wild animals and hunters on the list. She picked up the tome, which has been on her bed for a while, and grabbed her cloak.

Even if it was just for a few seconds, she was going to look outside.

Robin unlocked the door, having watched her mother unlock them countless times within the past few days alone. She opened the door and stepped outside.

The first thing she did when she was outside was look up. It was roughly midday, so she couldn't look directly above her, but it was enough. The sky was a light blue, dotted with white clouds.

Robin looked back in front of her and walked around her house. It looked even smaller on the outside—older, too. She looked out into the woods, and was fascinated at how dark and foreboding they looked compared to the bright clearing and the town.

Robin went back to the front of her home to see if anyone was coming. It was built in such a place that she would be able to see anyone coming without them seeing her. She knew this from watching Ammiras approach while Mother stood outside; he always looked a bit shocked to see her standing there, and sometimes he talked about it a little bit.

She walked back to the woods, but didn't step inside. She sat down, wondering if the things that stirred when she did were bugs or apart of a plant. She let her cloak fall off her shoulders, not caring if anyone saw her in her nightgown. Who would be out here, anyway?

Of course, that's when she heard the voice of a kid around her age.

"I gotcha now, bunny!" It was distant, but it was enough to make Robin jump and quickly put on her cloak. She held her magic tome close as she slowly backed away and raised her hood. She looked down as she had been taught to, mostly blind although the cloak fit her better than what it did when she was six.

The voice came again, but Robin couldn't tell what they said. She heard someone coming closer to the clearing, but instead of going faster, she stopped. She didn't know anyone but Ammiras and Mother. How did she know this person wanted to hurt her? She didn't move, but she didn't look up.

"Is there someone here?" The voice came again, closer this time. It was a girl's voice.

"No," Robin replied before thinking, manners taking over before common sense did.

Robin could hear the girl come closer, and her heart stopped as the girl bent down in a very awkward position to look up at Robin's face. She dropped the tome to cover her face, half-squeaking and half-yelping.

"You're shy, huh?" The girl asked. She gently grabbed Robin's arms and pulled them away from her face. The girl's darker skin contrasted with Robin's light skin. The girl had black hair like Mother's, braided sloppily. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." She dropped Robin's hands, and Robin picked up her tome again. No use hiding when she's already seen you, after all.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked, trying not to sound scared. She wasn't sure if it was the thought of Mother finding out or that someone was in the woods that scared her more, though.

"I'm hunting," the girl replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Then I saw you and decided to say hello."

Robin stepped back a bit to examine the girl entirely. She had a small dagger in it's sheath on her belt, and was wearing boy's clothes, for the most part. Something clicked in Robin's head; she recognized this girl from the figure who was outside the window when she was six.

Robin looked back towards the only path to the town that didn't go through the woods. She saw a figure coming towards her home; it was either Ammiras or Mother, but she couldn't tell which. She looked back at the girl. "I have to go back inside, so uh…hello? Nice to meet you?" She said awkwardly.

"What's your name?" The girl asked.

"I can't say," Robin replied truthfully. She looked back towards the approaching person. "I really need to get inside."

"Are you in trouble or something?" The girl said. "Do I need to call over the town leader or something?"

"No, I'm fine, I'm just not allowed outside."

"Why?"

"I really can't say right now."

"So you'll tell me later?"

"Sure, I guess. Just keep on coming by and I'll see you tomorrow, maybe? I don't know."

The girl looked skeptical when Robin looked at her, but she just shrugged. "Okay."

"Oh, and…" Robin began as the girl started walking away. "Please don't tell anyone? I think I'm supposed to be a secret."

The girl looked confused now, but didn't protest. She nodded, then left.

Robin quickly walked back inside. Thankfully whoever was coming was walking slowly. She opened the door, went inside, and locked it. Instantly relieved, she took off her cloak and went to her room.


	6. Chapter 5 - An Announcement from Mother

(If the readers of this story would PM me or review the story and tell me what they think of it, that would be great. I know where I want to go with it—or at least how to end it—I just need a little motivation to get there. It's still your choice to make, so you can ignore this if you want ^_^ Thank you for reading! I hope you'll continue to read and see this idea and story develop.)

Robin waited in her room until she heard the door unlock and open. She sat on her bed, her tome right beside her in case it wasn't Mother or Ammiras. However, the gentle voice she heard confirmed who it was.

"Robin, can you come here for a moment?" Mother asked from somewhere in the dining room.

Robin stood up, but paused for a moment. Mother rarely used her name, resorting to pet names, like how Ammiras would occasionally call her "little bird," inspired by her namesake. When she couldn't think of pet names, Mother typically didn't say anything at all. Robin slowly walked out of her room, narrowing down the possible conversation to two things: Mother realized Robin went outside, or Mother had something extremely important to tell her.

She walked into the dining room, where Mother sat without particularly looking at anything. Robin carefully sat down across from her.

"What is it, Mother?" She asked. "Did something happen while you were in town?"

"We're going to have to move, love." Mother said quietly. She stood up and went behind Robin to embrace her from behind, before Robin fully realized what she had said.

"Why?" Robin said. She tried to look up at her mother's face but the way she was standing and the way she was holding her made it impossible.

"Someone saw a Grimleal," Mother replied, speaking that last word bitterly.

"What's a Grimleal?" Robin asked, wiggling a little to try to free her from her mother's arms.

"They're bad men and women." Mother said simply. Her embrace became a hug. "I'm so sorry, dear, I didn't think they'd find us. I had to walk slowly so the spell I cast stayed in effect; all I wanted to do was run to you. I wanted to make sure you were safe…" Her voice trailed off.

"Is this about 'him?'" Robin said. "That man you're always muttering about?"

Mother didn't say anything for a few moments, and then, "Yes, dear. I'm sorry."

"When will we be leaving?" Robin asked. I still want to talk to that girl, she thought.

"Soon. Within the week. Ammiras will be coming over to pick you up while I make sure they won't follow us." There was a hidden, deadly tone there that only Robin could fully detect. Mother finally released Robin, but when she twisted to look over her shoulder, Mother had turned her back to her daughter.

Robin just sat and watched while Mother walked back to her room. Robin wasn't really sure if she should check up on her or not.

They were leaving? Robin remembered Mother telling her years ago that no one bad would find them. Was she wrong? Did it have something to do with the girl Robin met? She hoped they could still meet up—the girl didn't seem too bad. Plus, Robin promised. It would be rude to break a promise.

Eventually Robin decided to check up on her mother. If she learned anything, it's that sometimes Mother can overreact about simple things like laundry or a 'perfect' dinner. Maybe this was something similar?

Robin walked over to the door to Mother's room and slowly opened it. Mother was muttering something under her breath.

"…be in a forest this time, in the middle of nowhere. But what if someone gets sick? I should have some healing spells around here, somewhere, if I can use them…" Mother muttered. Robin opened the door the rest of the way and Mother stopped abruptly, turning to look at her daughter.

Robin realized she didn't have much of a reason to enter the room she only ever went in when she was in trouble. Her mind searched for a reason, and she blurted the first thing that came to mind: "When will Ammiras pick me up?"

"In a few days; he'll need to pack his things as well, since he'll be coming with us." Mother replied, looking a bit suspicious. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," Robin said. She started to close the door again. "I'm going to see if I can catch up on some schoolwork so I don't have as much to do while we're traveling."

"You're a smart one," Mother giggled lightly. "And you know what? I'll make us some cookies. It'll cheer us up."

Robin just nodded, closed the door, and went to her room. She brought out her textbooks and worked.


	7. Chapter 6 - Ocielle

The next day, Mother left early again. Robin waited until noonish before she put on her cloak, grabbed her tome, and went outside. It was colder than it had been, the wind blowing and clouds covering the sky, but it wasn't so cold that she needed another layer.

Robin walked over to the side of the house to find the girl from yesterday leaning against one of the trees, inefficiently digging a hole with her small dagger.

"Um… Hi." Robin said awkwardly.

This got the girl's attention. "Hello, odd girl." She stood up, wiped off her dagger with the hem of her shirt. "Can you answer my questions now?"

"I think so," Robin replied. "But you'll have to promise not to tell anyone."

The girl nodded. She pointed her dagger at herself. "I'm Ocielle. Born here in Ylisse, though I think I have some family up at Regna Ferox. Hunter by trade, orphan by accident." She twirled the dagger around to point it at Robin. "How about you?"

"I'm Robin. I've lived in this little house for as long as I can remember. I don't think I have any family besides my mother. I know some spells and I've been told I'm smart."

Ocielle looked at Robin, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "Why did you seem so rushed to get inside yesterday?" She asked.

"I'm not supposed to be outside the house," Robin explained. "I think my mother's hiding from something."

"Why are you wearing a nightgown?" Ocielle said. She finally sheathed her dagger in its case on her belt.

"I don't have any other clothes," Robin admitted. "When Mother takes me out on my birthdays, I'm always wearing a cloak, so it doesn't matter. That's probably what she went into town for."

Ocielle looked at Robin with something similar to pity or amusement. It was hard to tell. "Do you know Ammiras? The toy shop owner?"

Robin nodded. "I've known him since I was six," she replied.

"Do you know why he's leaving?" Ocielle asked. "He usually gives toys to the orphaned kids, but when he gave me mine he said that it was going to be the last toy I got from him."

"I think he's coming with me," Robin said slowly. "Him and my mother are close, I think, and Mother decided to leave. She told me that he was coming with us."

"Can I come along too, then?" Ocielle said. "He's been there while I was growing up, and I still want him there. He's like a grandfather to me—like he is for most of the kids here. I want to at least say goodbye."

"You'll have to bring it up with an adult," Robin said. "Like I said, I'm not supposed to be outside—much less actually talking to someone." Ocielle looked a bit disappointed, but Robin could see that she understood. Robin paused for a moment before saying, "Can I ask you a question? What did you mean by 'hunter by trade, orphan by accident?' It looks like your about my age; nine."

Ocielle didn't look surprised at the question, nor offended. "I was around two when my parents died, both by accidental occurrences—one by a fire that got out of control and one by a sword that was pointed in the wrong direction. I've been told that I was the reason both of those happened, but I don't think of it too much," Ocielle explained. "And while I'm still only nine—turning ten soon—I just get the animals, bring them to a butcher, and let the adults take the credit. It's good practice, at least, and I get paid a little bit for it." She brought out her dagger again and twirled it around, and then sheathed it again.

Robin looked back at the path. "I should probably be heading in. I'm supposed to be packing my things." She said.

"When are you leaving?" Ocielle asked.

"Mother says that we'll be gone sometime within the week," Robin replied. "Maybe today, tomorrow, or the day after. I'm not sure."

"I better go see if I can get Ammiras to take me with him," Ocielle asked. She half-waved, half-saluted. "I'll see you later?"

"Maybe," Robin said. Ocielle nodded and disappeared into the woods. Robin wondered if she ever walked around the town like a normal person would.

Robin made sure she had everything before going to the door. But instead of going inside, she sat down. It may not be the best weather, but it was something to appreciate nonetheless.


	8. Chapter 7 - Preparations

Robin went inside after a while, and when Mother came home, she learned her guess was right—in her hands were at least five new sets of clothes that could be made longer or shorter easily.

"We're leaving sometime tonight," Mother said. She handed Robin a set of clothes; pants, a shirt, a hat, and undergarments. "Put these on, dear, while I make dinner. Ammiras will be here soon."

Robin nodded, took the clothes, and went to her room. She wasn't completely packed yet, but Ammiras might be able to help her. She changed quickly, finding it a bit weird not to be wearing a dress—or clothes besides her nightgown in general—but deciding to finish packing. She heard the door unlock, open, close, and lock again. She left her room when she heard two voices.

Robin was pleasantly surprised when she recognized Ocielle and Ammiras. Then she saw Mother's face and backed out of view, but trying to stay in earshot. By the tone of conversation, it seemed obvious no one knew she was listening.

"Ocielle is an orphan, Keira." Ammiras was saying. "She won't do any harm. She's good with a blade and knows her way around the forest."

"She could be a spy or assassin," Mother replied.

"I'm nine, ma'am." Ocielle protested.

No one said anything for a while, until Mother muttered, "Fine. But she'll be staying with me and if she even touches Robin…" She couldn't seem to finish her sentence. Instead she said, "Dinner's almost ready. Ammiras, please go get Robin. Ocielle…don't touch anything."

As everyone murmured agreements, Robin slipped back in her room and looked like she was still packing. If Ammiras noticed when he walked inside, he didn't say anything.

"Get ready for dinner, kiddo." He said.

"Alright; I'm almost done packing." Robin replied.

"You might want to get a nap in before tonight." Ammiras advised. "We're going to be walking for a while. Your mother wants us halfway across Ylisse by noon tomorrow."

"That's…a lot of ground to cover." Robin said, looking over her room to make sure everything was set. Were they even going to bring anything with them? She didn't have a lot of toys, and her room wasn't that big, but what about her textbooks and tome?

Ammiras only grunted in agreement, muttered something, and left the room. Robin finished up what she was doing and went to join the others.

In the dining room, the look on Ocielle's face was one of controlled triumph. Robin was glad to have someone else to talk to—assuming Mother would let her.

Mother finished cooking and put it on four plates, and poured water into cups. Dinner was mostly assorted vegetables with the side of some sort of meat. One taste confirmed it was bear.

Everyone began eating in relative silence, Robin trying her best to keep her head down and not ask questions. Mother would assume that she didn't know who Ocielle was—and Robin didn't want to offend Ocielle by asking. Everyone's thoughts were on something else, and no one broke the silence. Robin didn't like it; there was usually at least one word spoken at meals with Mother.

"What's going to happen to this house?" Robin asked quietly. "Will we be bringing anything with us?"

"I'm sorry dear; I don't think we'll be able to bring anything but a small bag with us. There's too much large items here, and while I'd love to keep it…you have to say goodbye to everything eventually." Mother replied. "When we're done with dinner, each of you can pack a bag, but that's it. I need you to bring your tome and clothes; leave the textbooks. You can also bring a toy or two, if it'll fit. Ammiras already has his things packed; Ocielle can deal with what she doesn't have." She sounded a bit more harsh than she had to.

"Alright," Robin said. She was a little disappointed, but it made sense. She still wondered what would happen to the house, though. Was Mother going to burn it, or just abandon it? The thoughts kept her from enjoying the rest of her dinner.

Once she was done eating, she quietly excused herself, picked up a small bag from near the door, grabbed the rest of her new clothes, and went to her room. She carefully sandwiched her tome and her toy of choice—the doll she got when she was six—in between the clothes, and took down her hair so it laid on her back. She made sure her hat and shirt covered all of it, remembering that her mother had once told her to show as little as possible, including her hair. Any way for people to identify her was worse than none, Mother reasoned.

Robin laid down on her bed, and looked around her room for what she guessed could be the last time.


	9. Chapter 8 - Traveling

Robin was able to get a few hours of sleep in before Ammiras gently shook her awake.

The sky was dark outside, and the house was completely quiet.

"Pick up your bag, put on your cloak, and let's go," Ammiras said. "Your mother and Ocielle are waiting for us to leave."

Robin sat up, grabbed her bag, and followed Ammiras to the door, where she put on her cloak. She kept her head down, and although Mother and Ocielle were in the dining room, not that far away, no one spoke a word. It made Robin question if they were even moving or if they were all marching to their deaths.

Ammiras fastened something similar to a harness around Robin's waist. "I'm sorry; your mother's orders." He whispered.

"It's alright. I don't want to get lost," Robin replied. Once Ammiras was done, he unlocked the door and the two went outside.

…

They walked in silence for a long while. Robin's neck was beginning to hurt from her continuously watching her feet and see the grass beneath her. They were inside the forest by now, with nothing but a stick Ammiras was holding to warn them of danger. Robin would've offered to conjure up a small flame, but she didn't want to cause a wildfire nor break the silence.

It took a while before Ammiras finally spoke. "You know Ocielle, don't you?" He asked. "I don't think she would've tried to come with me if she was only coming as a bodyguard of sorts. She's loyal to her friends."

"Yes, I knew her before today." Robin replied carefully. "I snuck out and she caught me. I told her I was moving and she offered to come with."

"It's okay; I won't tell your mother." Ammiras said. "I was just curious." He paused. "And about your mother…I'm a bit sorry she's like this. She's more than a bit paranoid. I've tried to tell her that you two are both safe as long as you don't do anything stupid. Even with that advice, she assumed the best course of action was to keep you hidden away. She means well, but her actions to getting there are…questionable."

"Will you be able to tell me about 'him?' The man Mother always talks about?"

"That's a story for her to tell, not me. Although I will say that it's not a very happy story."

"She promised she'd tell me when I'm fourteen."

"Make sure you're ready by then. It'll be harder to believe than you'd think."

"Alright."

They fell into silence again. Robin now had something else to think about; was whatever happened before or shortly after her birth so tragic that it heavily affected Mother? Sure, she didn't know a lot about the world around her—only that they were currently in Ylisse, southern neighbor to Regna Ferox, and to the west there was Plegia—but it seemed hard to believe that her mother was this way through past events. Robin always knew her mother was careful, but that wasn't the same thing as Ammiras described her as.

The two continued walking until the sun started rising. Robin was exhausted, and Ammiras didn't look any better.

"I'd say we made good progress." Ammiras said. He led her into the first town she saw since entering the woods. "We'll stay at an inn for a few hours, then head out again. We'll go back into the forest and pass three more villages before we reach your new home."

"When will Mother and Ocielle catch up with us?" Robin asked. She had kept her head up for a bit, but she lowered it again by habit.

"A few weeks after we've settled in, hopefully." Ammiras replied. "At most, a month or two."

"Alright," Robin said.

…

They entered the inn and Ammiras payed for a room. They had, briefly, gone over the story; a man and his granddaughter moving away, the granddaughter being blind which justified the harness (although the clerk didn't completely believe them).

Robin never spoke a word, not even when they were in their room. She never put her hood down, using her cloak as a blanket while she watched Ammiras pull out a small breakfast. As soon as she was able, she fell asleep on a small cot.


	10. Chapter 9 - The New Home

(Sorry if my north-east-south-west things are wrong. For clarification, they're going from the left side of Ylisse to the right side. I also apologize for if my habit of making geographical monuments—such as mountains, rivers, lakes, hills, towns, etc.—and my tendency to make long trips really short makes things unrealistic.)

Robin and Ammiras traveled like this in a similar fashion for about two weeks. Apparently she had once lived closer to the south-west part of Ylisse. They were now traveling to a port town on the eastern coast of Ylisse, closer to the northern areas and Regna Ferox. Occasionally they were able to get on a cart and ride, making the trip a little shorter, but otherwise there were some days where neither of them could walk very far, and thus had to rest. Robin wondered if Mother had chosen the wrong pair, one young and one old, both with a limited amount of energy. Of course, Robin appreciated the break from Mother—sometimes it did get a bit too much to handle.

Eventually, they made it. Robin's new home was just outside of town, looking out into the sea. Not a single window faced the east, and all the other windows looked boarded up or unclean.

"It looks…old." Robin said, standing in front of it. She had her hood down, but it was nighttime and dark so she would be hard to see.

"This town is mainly full of older folk who've been here for generations." Ammiras explained. He bent down to undo her harness, and Robin didn't realize how tight it was until it was taken off. "The houses are no different. I'll be in the town after your mother comes back, and Ocielle will probably be joining me."

Robin nodded, and walked up to the door. It opened without having any locks or tricks; when she looked inside, it seemed to be a bit bigger than her old home. The floors were wood or stone, the walls were completely bare and nothing but bricks. There were at least four doors that led to different rooms; the dining room and kitchen were one, the table only able to hold two people unlike the one in her old home. She stepped inside and opened all the doors; a bathroom, two bedrooms, and one empty room that could be a study or playroom.

Ammiras joined her inside. "You get first pick on the bedrooms. Unload you stuff, I'll make food, and then we can eat and rest." He said.

"Alright," Robin replied. She went to the smaller room and put her stuff away. At least now she actually had a dresser; she put all her clothes inside it and sat her doll on top of the dresser. Everything was dusty. The bed had pillows, sheets, and a blanket, but none of it looked clean. She shoved it all aside so Mother could wash it when she got here.

Soon enough Ammiras called her out for dinner, they ate, and Robin fell asleep quickly.

…

It had taken longer than Ammiras had predicted for Mother and Ocielle to come. Three months after Robin and Ammiras first arrived, Mother was there.

At first, Robin didn't recognize either of them. They had walked in the still-unlocked door, not having spoken a word. Mother's hair was now blonde in color, tied back in a bun; Robin had never considered that her black hair had been dyed somehow. Ocielle still wore the same clothes she had worn the day Robin met her; they were torn, though.

Ammiras, having heard the door open, had walked to Robin's side. "Did you have any trouble?" He asked.

"No," Mother said. It looked like she was lying, but it was hard to tell. She went over to Robin and hugged her. "But you're not allowed to go back outside again, not even once a year. Not until I know it's safe. No one but the four of us should know you live here." She ended her embrace and looked at everyone else. "Is that clear?"

Everyone murmured in agreement, but no one looked completely satisfied with the decision. Mother looked especially torn; her daughter's safety or her daughter's happiness? Robin was disappointed, but she didn't want it to show.

Ocielle walked further inside and sat down at the table. Robin looked towards the adults, who were exchanging details about their 'story'—Ammiras was a man who was looking over the house until Mother came with an orphaned child. There was no alias for Robin—as far as anyone else was concerned, she did not exist.

Robin joined Ocielle at the table. "Are you staying?" She asked.

"Yeah. Apparently I'm too suspicious to leave behind. But she let me stay here, so I guess I'm not too suspicious." Ocielle said. She looked over at the adults. "She told me to just call her Keira. I guess that's her name? Either way, we'll be sharing a room. She also told me that we'll be living 'normally.'" She glanced back at Robin again, a look of pity on her face. "I guess everyone but you. Sorry."

"It's alright," Robin replied. "I'm used to it."

Ocielle nodded and went back to staring at the adults. Eventually, they bid goodbye for an hour or so—Robin was reasonably surprised that Mother left her alone with Ocielle, but guessed that it just meant she actually did trust her—and left.

That's when Ocielle stood up abruptly. "Okay, we really need to talk."


	11. Chapter 10 - The Talk

(Sorry if my math is incorrect.)

Robin just looked at her friend, only vaguely aware of how dumb she looked. "What is it?"

"I'm going to get straight to the point." Ocielle said. "Your mother, Keira…I don't think she's exactly sane." She put her hand up to quiet Robin before she even thought of protesting. "Here me out for a few minutes. After you and Ammiras left, she pulled out a tome of her own and cast a fire spell. I was concerned she meant to harm me, at first, but…it was directed towards the house. She set it ablaze and watched as it burned to ashes. That alone took hours."

"I'm sure she had her reasons," Robin replied. She was only half listening; what about her textbooks and the toys she couldn't bring with her? Mother had things she couldn't bring along, too; there had been a painting she had always loved, but it was too big and heavy for one person to carry. She had once told Robin it held treasures; Robin had been looking forward to a day she could figure out if that's true or not.

Nevertheless, Ocielle didn't look convinced. "After the house burned, I was nothing but a pawn for her. She towed me around in the woods, interrogated me like I was a war prisoner and she was the enemy, yet relied on me to catch food." She said. "She's crazy at best. Downright insane at worst. Eventually she started 'trusting' me but I'm sure she still hates me."

"Mother isn't crazy; I'm willing to accept she's scared, but not crazy." Robin said, confident in her belief however much Ocielle looked prepare to protest.

"What's she so afraid of that she won't let her nine-year-old daughter go outside just because some family had a reunion?" Ocielle asked. "I'm nine but I'm really mad for you."

"Thanks?" Robin replied. "But I don't need it." She smiled faintly, maybe a bit too forlorn for a girl her age. "I've lived with Mother for nine years; she's the only one I have. And you're the only friend I have; so don't go ruining it by getting on Mother's nerves! She only forgives me when I mess up because I'm her daughter and she's my mother; I have no idea how she'll act if you mess up."

Ocielle looked ready to protest, but Robin could see her willingness to fight and her soft side fighting—her soft side one, and she gave a sigh of minor annoyance. "Okay, fine." She said, flashing Robin a reassuring smile. "I'm here for you if you wanna talk about it."

Robin nodded, glad for the offer.

"Who wants to see if Ammiras packed board games?" Ocielle asked with a refreshing note of childish joy.

"I do!" Robin replied in the same manner. The two girls walked over to the abandoned bags, found Ammiras's, and carefully dug through it.

…

Almost five years passed without any major improvements or casualties. Robin was nearly fourteen, ready to be told the secret of 'him' when her birthday came around in another week. Mother had started treating Ocielle like a second daughter, although there was always a certain tension between them that Robin wished would go away. Ammiras visited them every month, but only brought them gifts on their respective birthdays.

Robin was laying on her bed while Ocielle sharpening a knife on the other side of the room. The two of them were closer, now, but Robin was beginning to think everyone wanted to avoid her. Mother had taken up a job, Ocielle was in school—the reason was so then Robin could learn from her, but more often than not Robin helped Ocielle rather than the other way around.

Like always, Ocielle was the first to start a conversation. "Are you ever going to have your hair down for more than an hour?" She asked in a combination of curiosity and playfully mocking tone.

"So says the girl who only ever wears a braid," Robin countered.

Ocielle murmured a "True." before continuing her work on her knife. She paused, examined it, and laid it on her bed—which was more of a cot compared to Robin's. "Listen, Robin, I need to tell you something."

Robin sat up and looked over at her friend. "I'm listening," she said.

"Okay, promise me you won't take this the wrong way." Ocielle replied, sighing. Robin nodded, letting her know she understood. Ocielle took a deep breath. "I'm not doing this to abandon you. I know Keira plans on telling you more about your dad and stuff. But she still doesn't like me and it's not good for any of us. I've decided"—she sighed and spoke quickly—"to move out." She looked at Robin, who completely understood the feeling.

"Alright; I can't force you to stay." Robin said. She stood up and walked over to Ocielle. "Just write or visit or something, okay? And make sure Mother's okay with it."

Ocielle snorted. "Keira was the one who suggested it; she's still not completely sane, but at least now I can tell she's trying." She hugged Robin, who returned the embrace. "I'll be with Ammiras for the first few weeks or so; I'm going to try to make my way back to where we used to live or to Regna Ferox. I'll write as often as I can." She let go of Robin, and pulled out a few bags to start packing. Robin tried her best to help.


	12. Paralogue 1 - Robin and Morgan

(While this story will be coming to an end soon, I would like to say that Paralogues will be used to explain some things, peek into current events with Robin and Morgan, look back before Robin was born—with the pretense of still being in the false past for Robin—and give more detail to the story in general. Events merely mentioned in the normal chapters may be given more depth in a Paralogue, and possibly events mentioned in Awakening as well—although some will be covered as a part of Robin's past. That being said, Paralogues can be skipped if you want as they aren't overly important. I will apologize if Robin acts more like Corrin; I recently got Fates so I'm playing through that. But without further ado, here's the chapter!)

Robin looked down at their work and sat down the quill. They had been working on it for a few days; she was a bit concerned Morgan was making it a bit unrealistic. She mostly wrote it while Morgan helped with the characters; Ammiras was there by the request of Morgan, Mother—the name they had given her was Keira, and even then that was only an alias—was a combined effort, Robin adding what she wished and thought of in a mother with Morgan's experiences with Robin creating a cautious-but-kind person that Robin found herself missing despite knowing that her true mother could be dead or completely different, while Ocielle was mostly Robin's creation, added into the story with the help of Morgan. Occasionally he helped make it less dark and gloomy, although Robin felt like a bad past would be the most realistic one.

"What do you think of it so far, Mother?" Morgan asked.

"We're missing the everyday moments, but it would take a while to write out every day of nineteen years," Robin replied. "We're also missing my infant years, but I wouldn't remember those anyway. But we're nearly done; get past my fourteenth birthday, skip a few years or write it out, and then we're at the point where Grima came through the portal, found me, then erased my memories by trying to give me his."

Morgan looked over at her. "Do you want to continue, then?" He said. "Then we can show Father and the others!" One of the things Robin enjoyed most about this was spending so much time with Morgan; his positivity was near infectious and it made everyday chores a bit easier to bear. One of the things she hated the most was that she still couldn't remember anything; while some characters, like Ocielle, seemed partially true—you can't write a past without a small bit having actually happened—it was hard to tell.

When Robin didn't respond right away, still staring at the words she had written, Morgan stood up and walked closer to her. "Mother? We can stop if it's bothering you, or start over. I don't mind; this is mostly for you, after all."

Robin just turned to him and hugged him briefly. "Nothing's wrong with the story, Morgan; it's perfect." She said, and paused before continuing. "I'm just…not very excited to be told I was born purely to be the vessel for a demon dragon again. Even if it might never have happened."

"Is that all?" Morgan asked, his expression turning from mild worry to reassurance. "I can write that part, if you want. And the part where Grima took your memory. And any of the bad parts."

"Thank you for the offer," Robin said, smiling sweetly at her son, "But I'm confident you'll make it far more friendly than it needs to be. I appreciate your help, Morgan, but things like Grima can't be underestimated." She sat down and looked back at their writing, twenty pages that only covered a few days of her childhood. It was a bit underwhelming, but it was more than Robin had wanted. She looked over at Morgan. "Could you go get us some lunch? Then we'll eat, tidy up a bit, and continue, okay?"

Morgan nodded. "Okay! Do you have any preferences?" He said.

"As long as it's not Sully or Kjelle's cooking, I'm fine with whatever's being served today." Robin replied.

"Alright!" Morgan said. He left the tent and Robin looked around at the small mess the two had made by simply writing a story.

…

Morgan came back with two trays of food that smelled—and looked—promising and hopefully not poisoned. Robin had cleaned up most of the tent back to a place some would call chaotic, others would call strategic; a sword was by the entrance while her more powerful tomes were hidden behind her strategy books but still within easy reach. Her pillows and blanket looked considerably nicer as well.

Robin gestured towards the table, and Morgan sat down the trays and they began to eat.

I'll write the next part when I'm done eating, Robin told herself. She couldn't put it off forever if she wanted to have all the important details written down.


	13. Chapter 11 - The Truth

(Beware possible misinformation and such.)

Robin didn't want to get up. She had been spending most of yesterday worrying and wondering what her mother wanted to tell her, about 'him' and the thing she didn't miss until now—her father. Suffice to say, she was exhausted. But nonetheless, she got up to start getting ready for her fourteenth birthday.

Mother had made the traditional breakfast that tasted…dead. Plain. Robin felt like Mother had been avoiding her; they barely spoke and when Mother came home from work she'd grab a plate of dinner and eat in her room. For a while Robin assumed this was because of Ocielle, but it never improved. It made Robin fear what her mother intended to tell her.

"There aren't as much presents this year because we're new," Mother said quietly. Robin couldn't remember the last time she directly spoke to her. "There's two from me, two from Ammiras, one from Ocielle, and one from my employer. After I meet more people who are willing to give gifts to strangers just because they ask, you'll get more. Is that okay?"

Robin just nodded. She didn't really have anything she wanted to say. She ate, cleaned up, and went back to her room.

…

The day was painful. Robin wasn't used to feeling so dead on her birthday. The only noise was dishes being cleaned, cake being made, presents being opened, and then…silence. Robin was watching the sun set through the barred, dirty windows that made everything look brown outside. Of all the years Robin's lived in this house, it's never seemed this small or gloomy.

Mother sat down on a chair close to her. "Are you ready to hear it?" She asked.

"I guess. You made the promise; you might as well see it through." Robin replied, politely looking at Mother to show she had her full attention.

Mother looked like she had wished Robin said "No." She continued talking nonetheless. "You've heard me say Grimleal once or twice, haven't you? But you've never heard me say Grima. You know who Naga is—I made sure of it when I was still teaching you. Suffice to say that Grima is Naga's opposite; the pain in the world, grief over a dead family member, every bane to our lives I personally credit to that…demon. While Naga is the Divine Dragon, Grima is the Fell Dragon.

"The Grimleal are people who follow Grima, kill for the beast, live and die for him. There is a man—his name is Validar—who's family has been the leader-of-sorts of the Grimleal. For generations his family has been trying to create a child to be the fell dragon's vessel for when he wakes up from his ancient slumber. That child, Robin…ended up being you." Her voice cracked but she continued before Robin could question her.

"I was a dark mage, ever since I was a small child." Mother continued. "I was born and raised, like most of the other Grimleal, in Plegia. I grew up well; middle-class family with about five cousins and an older sister. I wasn't exactly…in love with Validar when I married him. If I loved anything it was the fact that I was marrying into the most important family of the Grimleal. Everyone was confident that the next generation—your generation—would be the one to have a suitable vessel.

"Everyone always said I had been too soft, caring, for someone who studied and cast curses and plagues. Everyone hoped I would change as I grew. I was still young—around twenty—when you were born. The first thing you did when you opened your eyes…was cry. When you stopped, you slept. You never ate anything. I began to wonder…if it was fair to send a child to be a demon's vessel.

"You were the child who would be used as the human body of Grima, when he awoke. I looked at your face when we realized it, and I knew I couldn't let that happen. You were so young…it felt like condemning you to death, when you were a newborn. So I took you from your crib and left Plegia altogether.

"I walked until I reached the village we lived in for the first part of your childhood. I met Ammiras; I called myself Keira and that I was looking for a home. He helped me raise you, by giving me advice—he let me live in the house in the clearing for free. Most of his family were Grimleal as well; everyone but him and his daughter's family served the fell dragon.

"I never let anyone see you. No one even knew you existed. Most gifts you got were from Ammiras or others through him. The Grimleal I saw back there…was actually Ammiras's relative. I left because I didn't know how close behind Validar was; ever since I took you, I was afraid he would come after me. You know the rest well enough. We moved here with the addition of Ocielle and we've been here since."

Mother finished speaking and abruptly stood up, wasting no time to head towards the door. She didn't give Robin any time to react. She unlocked the door, opened it, and said, "I'll give you some time to think about it."

Then she was gone and Robin was completely alone.


	14. Chapter 12 - Thinking

The excitement of being alone (it was still new to her, and was rare despite Mother working and Ocielle being at school) was heavily dulled to a sense of near-nonexistence by Robin still trying to piece everything together.

Her mother was hiding from her father. Robin had assumed he was dead or didn't care. She thought of every subtle hint during her early childhood where Mother said 'he' and times when she blamed him on everything. Everything made sense. Besides the fact that she only existed to be a demon's human vessel, of course. It was both hard and easy to accept—some of it made so much more sense now. The rest were still lost to her.

Robin wondered when Mother would come back. A few hours? A day? A month? She was beginning to want to talk to someone, hear something other than her own thoughts. She looked over at her presents; she hadn't really thought much of them until now. A sword and an assortment of chocolates from Mother; a set of clothes for her doll and a book from Ammiras; paper and pens from Ocielle (which had instructions for who to give it to and write one properly); a small assortment of snacks from Mother's employer. It wasn't much, but it was nice to see that they cared.

She cautiously picked up the sword and swung it around. It had come with a sheath but it had been lost at some point if the day (maybe when she was cleaning up the wrapping paper). She swung it to the side, aiming to chip the table, but it didn't do anything. Of course it's blunt, Robin thought a bit bitterly. She wasn't sure why she was surprised—of course it was; it had come from her mother. The knives were barely sharp enough to cut through meat; why would a sword be any sharper? Robin wanted to be mad at something but couldn't completely bring herself to be mad at her mother. She decided to just put the presents away and wait for Mother's return.

…

It was around midnight when Robin heard her mother come inside. And even then, Mother only stepped into earshot.

"I know it's late," Mother said. "But change out of your nightgown. I want you to pick out your own gift this year."

Robin just stared at her for a moment. "I haven't done that in years, Mother. I've outgrown my cloak, and Ocielle took hers with her. And none of the shops will be open; we'll only be able to see displays. There isn't much ways I can go out without anyone seeing me."

"That wasn't a request, it was an order," Mother replied sternly. "Change out of your nightgown and put on a cap to hide your hair in. I'll be waiting outside." With that, she turned around and left the house again.

Robin hesitated a few moments before Robin went back into her room and changing into a long-sleeved dress that barely fit her. If it wasn't for the fact that Mother usually made her dresses longer or larger to fit her better, then she probably wouldn't have any normal clothes at all. She located a cap that she could tuck all (or most, anyway) of her hair in after she took it down, but realized she didn't have any shoes. Figuring there was nothing that could be done about it, she went to the door, hesitating before opening it.

As promised, Mother was right there. She looked over at Robin and nodded a silent approval, before starting to walk to the town. Robin followed, fond memories of her younger childhood resurfacing; eventually it just reminded her of how long she's been cooped up inside her house. She let herself wonder what would happen if she ran off to the forest on one side or the ocean on the other. She silently promised herself she would travel around Ylisse one day, even if it was years from now. Mother had to let her do whatever she wanted after a while.

Mother let Robin inside the town. The dirt path faded into bricks, and there were a decent amount of shops and homes here.

"Take your time, look around." Mother said quietly. "Just tell me what catches your eye and I'll get it for you tomorrow. Does that sound doable?"

Robin nodded, and walked around the town. There wasn't a large selection; books, toys, more books, sailor's gear, a jewelry store or two. She paused in front of the display window for the bookstore. There was a children's book, a history book, a science book, and various works of fiction on display. A part of her mind wanted something that could help her convince Mother to be less…wary of the outside. Or something that could help her plan for when that day comes, and she's allowed outside again. Not easily finding anything, Robin returned to Mother—who was still waiting at the town entrance.

"Just a how-to on sword wielding would probably do," Robin said.

Mother nodded, apparently having forgotten about the sword, and led the way back home.


	15. Chapter 13 - A Normal Day

Robin wasn't sure why she couldn't sleep. She had quickly come to terms with the fact that she might not go back outside again for a while. She still wanted to be mad at something, though; she didn't understand it, since it was a bit uncharacteristic. She wanted to go back outside, but she knew she could only view it from her window (and even then, it was hard to see it).

She laid in bed until a few hours into the morning. She guessed it was around three or four. Robin slipped out of bed, figuring that if she couldn't sleep she could do something useful. She decided to wash whatever dishes needed to be done. It was a decent distraction.

…

Robin did chores until Mother woke up.

"I need to go to work today, but I'll get you something to help you with the sword when I'm done." Mother said.

"Alright," Robin replied. She finished up breakfast and sat it in the table. "Why did you get me a sword, anyway? I know enough magic that, with the right tome, I can protect myself if needed."

"A mother has to prepare her child for everything that could happen to them," Mother said, sitting down at the table and beginning to eat. Robin joined her. "I gave you tomes when you were little, made you study magic, purely for tradition purposes—I may not ever want to see them again, but I was close to my family and I wanted to their tradition of the youngest learning spells. I figured I'd never have another child after you were born and I took you from Plegia, so I taught you what you needed to know. I didn't expect you to get so good at it." She paused. "And I figured that, besides self-protection, you could use the sword to get out some of your anger or help cut wood to burn in the winter."

Robin guessed that made sense. They ate it silence, but speaking to each other until Robin finished.

"Mother… For the record, I don't blame you for what you did. I may not be completely happy, but I'm safe, and I know that's your intention. You took me as a baby so I could live a life that didn't involve Grimleal or a fell dragon or fell blood or…him." Robin said quietly, unable to say Validar or Father—neither seemed right. "You did what you had to in order to protect me, and yourself. I understand that, and I respect your desire to stay away."

"I'm glad you understand," Mother replied with a sad smile that made Robin think she wanted to say more.

Robin nodded. Mother finished up her food and stood up. "Okay, I'm sorry dear, but I'm going to have to go to work now," she said. "Thank you for breakfast. I'll try to get home early today." She walked into her room for a few minutes, walking back out again in her work attire—Robin guessed she was either a waitress or a teacher but could never tell which.

Mother left the house and Robin cleaned up. She wasn't sure if she wanted to swing her new sword around a few times or rest. The part of her that cared told her to rest, so that's what she did.

…

Robin was a bit disappointed when she realized she had only been asleep for a few hours, but she quickly brushed it off since she was feeling more awake now. Unfortunately, she had done most of the chores last night—the only ones left were the one that required her to go outside, which Mother typically did herself for obvious reasons.

She decided to pick up her sword and trying to wield it properly. It was hard considering that she'd only ever dealt with tomes before, but since she wasn't trying to hit anything it seemed to be going well. She tried not to hit any of her toys—which by now were just lifeless spectators and there for sentimental value. Robin couldn't bring herself to get rid of any of them, even if she hasn't touched any of them in years besides her doll.

Mother came home a bit earlier, as she had promised, with a sword how-to book that she gave to Robin before going to her own room. After a quick once-over, Robin used it to help her wield the dull weapon, and she practiced for a bit before she decided to make dinner.


	16. Chapter 14 - The Encounter

(Uhhh I mention a cloak and I decided to be vague but, just to be clear, it's the one she wears in Awakening—I'm saying this because this will be one of the last chapters, so I'm trying to tie up loose ends and such. Also beware slight misinformation.)

The years passed by quickly. Robin found herself forgetting—or hiding—her dreadful past and her mother's heartache. When she was fifteen, Ocielle sent her a book and game focused on war and battle tactics; Robin had, at first, read and played them out of boredom until she realized that she could use them to help her and Mother. Robin had initially questioned why her friend sent her something like that, but Ocielle simply wrote back "I figured you'd want them" and ended the conversation off there, going on to explain her life in the outer-Regna Ferox area. Robin was happy for her, but she still missed the talking companion occasionally.

Robin and Mother had moved a third time, closer to Ylisstol, and she was granted slightly more freedom than she held elsewhere. They didn't live inside the capital, just a town or two outside it, but it was close enough that Robin spent a week memorizing the royalty's names—Emmeryn, the current Exalt of Ylisse, Chrom, the prince around her age, and Lissa, the youngest of the three—and memorizing what they looked like, should she run into them one day.

She was given a new cloak, and she didn't have to look down so then no one could see her, if she had the hood in the right place. Mother had given her permission to go outside as much as she liked, as long as she didn't talk to anyone and didn't stay out too long.

This was what she was doing now. Robin had her cloak close to her, her sight limited due to it's hood. It was cloudy, but it was promised rain and sunshine later on; Robin enjoyed these moments for her younger self that couldn't do the same. She was nineteen; Mother had slowly stopped being so scared as she grew into a young adult. She could handle a sword and magic. While she didn't have any weapons with her at the moment, she knew how to quickly sharpen a stick to then it was usable for a few quick stabs so she could run away if needed.

Robin had, apparently, wandered farther than she had originally intended. She was on the edge of a clearing. It was around noon—she had left earlier in the morning, after Mother left for work (she had confirmed that she worked at a tavern; not the best job, but it got everything paid).

She turned around to head back home before Mother started to worry when she heard someone curse. They continued to curse, loudly. It wasn't the cursing that made her pause; it was the voice. It almost sounded like hers, but layered over with a gruffer voice that she couldn't recognize. Curious, despite her instincts telling her to go back home, she went closer.

The person was either really mad or very stressed. They were cursing quickly, frequently—Robin didn't think they were saying anything but foul words. Eventually, they were in sight, standing close to the center of the clearing.

"Now, where did those children go?!" The person yelled. They wore a cloak like Robin. They sounded similar to Robin. She was starting to think she would return home before they saw her when they turned around and faced her.

She was looking directly at herself.

There were some differences, yes; this person had a foul expression, and was a bit taller than her. The person smiled, but it wasn't friendly. It was devilish, hinting at malice, amusement, and excitement. Robin didn't like the combination.

"Hello there…Robin." The person said. "How have you been today? Good? That's nice. Do you wanna hear what my day was like?"

Robin stayed silent.

"Figures. I guess I was that shy, once." The person mused. "How old are you? Nineteen? Ah, youth. So stupid. Damn them all, I say. How about you come over here? Just a little bit more? I wanna take a better look at you."

Robin looked back towards her house. She could run, find Mother…but the person, whoever they were, could follow her. She didn't want to put her mother in danger. She snapped off a branch from a tree and tried in a vain attempt to sharpen it, but couldn't find anything that wouldn't overdo it or cause a fire.

"If we're going to play cat and mouse, can't you take down your hood so I can see my prey?" The person asked. "I won't hurt you. I just have something to give you. You'll want it, I promise; it's one of the best things imaginable." They stepped closer and Robin stepped back. "You're hiding against yourself, Robin. Come on now; I don't have all day. I have dastards to catch."

"Who are you?" Robin asked quietly.

"You know who I am, idiot." The person replied. "Now come closer or I'll just have to kill you in the most horrific fashion possible for your dear old mother to see."

"Don't hurt Mother," Robin warned them. "If you do, I—"

"What will you do to a god? A demon? A dragon? I want to know. Truly, I do." The person said. "I know from personal experience that you left all your weapons at home. Oh, and Mother will be home soon. She had something she wanted to show you. But I wonder…what would happen if she never made it home…"

"Don't!" Robin said, semi-unconsciously coming closer. "Don't hurt her!" Eventually she was a safe distance away from the person. It was, without a doubt, her—same eyes, same face, same hair, but there was something behind them that Robin couldn't place. "Mother has nothing to do with this. Leave her alone."

"Will you accept my gift, then?" The person asked.

"No," Robin replied.

The person lunged for Robin before the latter could respond. They held her tight, and she was unable to move her arms.

"This won't hurt a bit," The person whispered in Robin's ear. "I'll just give you my memories so you make the right decisions. Stay still, okay? It'll only take a second."

Robin collapsed after the first few moments, blacking out.

She heard someone curse. It was barely audible; she couldn't hear anything. A moment or two later and she ended up falling asleep.


	17. Paralogue 2 - Keira

(This might be needles to say, but remember that Keira is the name Robin and Morgan gave Robin's mother. That being said, enjoy the paralogue!)

Keira walked up to her home, a small book for Robin and a letter from Ocielle in her hands. She carefully unlocked the door and it opened, revealing the biggest house she had ever lived in with her daughter (although it wasn't too grand compared to most homes around here).

"Ocielle sent another letter, dear. I also have a book I thought you might like." She said as she walked inside, setting everything on the counter. She looked around, briefly panicking for a moment when she realized Robin wasn't home, until she remembered that she had allowed her daughter to go outside whenever she wished.

Keira wondered when Robin had left. She should be coming back soon, regardless—Keira didn't think she should stay out past noon; it was too busy most of the time. Telling herself that, Keira wandered back to her room to change into clothes that fit her a little better.

She decided to spend some time cleaning up, only growing more concerned as it grew closer to evening. Keira tried to suppress a panic. Maybe her daughter had simply gotten lost? Or someone found her. Maybe she's coming home now, right outside the door? Keira checked; she could not see her daughter anywhere close.

Robin should have a good reason not to come home. Keira had to remind herself that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened; her daughter has come home late several times due to getting lost or losing track of time. Maybe this was similar?

Keira stared outside the window, her motherly instincts telling her to go after her daughter while something deeper down said that Robin was okay, unharmed, and safe. If Robin came back and Keira wasn't home, she might leave trying to find her and only reverse the roles. But what if Robin didn't come back? What if Validar or another Grimleal found her, caught her, and brought her to be the vessel for a forever-damned demon dragon? Or if she encountered a beast that harmed her. Or worse…killed her?

Keira tried to bring herself out of the internal battle, but it was impossible. Robin wouldn't intentionally leave. She knew the dangers that came with that. Keira had made her promise that she wouldn't get into any trouble. Such a promise was only half possible, but she knew that Robin would at least try not to get caught.

Eventually the smaller voice won, partially reassuring Keira that her daughter was safe. It might make her a bad mother, but she hasn't exactly been the best parent in the whole world in the past. With a child who's in her early adulthood, that wasn't likely to change.

Keira started preparing dinner, deciding that if Robin didn't come back by noon the next day, then she would try to figure out where she went.

…

It turns out waiting is harder then you think. Keira's rarely ever looked forward to anything; she only ever dreaded the future. It was hard not to when you've been hiding and running from your past life and old friends for nineteen years.

Eventually it was noon again. Thankful she had the day off, Keira had woken up forgetting about the previous day. And then she remembered when she was about to call Robin for breakfast and found her room empty.

Keira didn't want to think about it, but…unless Robin was being held against her will somehow, she would've returned home by now. The only excuses Keira could think of were horrible ones. Robin could be dead or dying.

She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, as well. Robin might be home, enjoying lunch, should she have gone out searching for her the previous day. Keira tried not to think of it.

Keira got ready as quickly as she could to try to find her daughter. She would search all of Ylisse if she had to, even Regna Ferox if she could; if Robin was in Plegia, it would be too late to save her from Validar. Of course, it was possible that it was already too late to do anything. But Keira didn't let herself stay on those thoughts.

Keira gathered some of her things, and left to try to find her.


	18. Epilogue

(This is short because it's only meant to end it off sweetly, in contrast to most of my other stories where the ending is horribly tragic. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed Robin's Past!)

Robin sat down the quill. Morgan hovered beside her, reading over what she had just wrote. It was a bit sad, but the ending was possibly the most realistic part—Grima had told her himself that he had tried to give her his memories, but she wasn't strong enough so it ended up getting rid of them entirely.

"What do you think Mother? Do you think this is good?" Morgan asked.

"Yes; for now, anyway." Robin replied. She neatly stacked the papers so it was listed in chronological order and started trying to bind them so they'd stay together. "Maybe when things settle down a bit more, we can see if it's true or not. But for now, I think I'm fine with this."

She finished up her binding work; it wasn't much and wasn't pretty, but she could always redo it later. It would, at least, keep the pages together. She picked up the makeshift book and turned to her son.

"Do you want to go show your father what we've been working on?" She said. Morgan nodded. "Go find him while I tidy up a little, okay?"

"Alright!" Morgan replied. He exited the tent to find his father.

Robin looked back at the book. This was her creation, her past. It might not cover her everyday life, and it may not have helped her remember anything, but perhaps one day she could find out how much was true.


End file.
